1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and in particular to a method and apparatus for providing electrical contact in an aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for providing electrical contact to a control surface on an aircraft.
2. Background
An aircraft has a number of different flight control surfaces that may be used to control an aircraft during takeoff and flight. Examples of control surfaces include ailerons, elevators, rudders, flaps, slats, and airbrakes. These control surfaces are airfoils that deflect air in one direction and cause an aircraft to move in another direction.
With respect to maintaining a smooth flow of air and providing a capability to generate lift, it is important to remove and/or prevent ice from accumulating on aircraft control surfaces. Aircraft may use a number of different mechanisms for preventing and/or removing ice from these control surfaces. For example, electrical mechanical systems may use a mechanical force to knock ice off of a flight surface. Actuators may be installed underneath the skin of the aircraft structure in which the actuator is moved to induce a shockwave in the protected surface to dislodge the ice.
In another type of system, heaters may be used to prevent or remove ice from the surface. These types of heaters are also referred to as electrical thermal systems. With electric heaters, these devices may remove ice and/or may prevent ice from forming on a control surface.
Both electrical thermal systems and electro-mechanical systems require an electrical connection to function. With some control surfaces, supplying an electrical connection may be more challenging. For example, with slats or flaps located on a leading edge of an aircraft, the movement of these control surfaces may require more complex systems to maintain an electrical connection.
Currently, this type of connection may be made using a translating wire bundle. A translating wire bundle is a physical linkage having a number of different links through which cables may run. This type of structure allows for an electrical connection to be maintained to a moving part, while protecting the cables that may be providing the electrical connection. These types of connections increase the weight of an aircraft, take up space within the wing of an aircraft, and also increase the cost of constructing an aircraft.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus to provide electrical contacts in a manner that overcomes the problems described above.